Friday, June 6, 2014

Symptom of the (HR) Universe

Here we go again. For years we in human
resources have tried to convince everyone around us that we are legitimate
leaders. A few of us actually behave that way, or at least are going to die
trying. Forget whether or not someone allows you to be influential, you
just need to act that way. Right?

HR Still Can't Figure Itself Out

Recently the mother-of-all HR organizations decided to throw our
world into another tailspin. SHRM has now launched an all out assault on HRCI.

These former partners are now locked in a very public battle that
once and for all will prove to the world that HR is not ready to sit at the
grown up table.

Our Track Record Was Already Weak

Now that we've
announced we were just kidding about those credentials we convinced our companies to value (competing
credentials... really?) instead of acting like a unified group of professionals,
we have nearly sealed our fate.

Oh wait, I'm not sure that any of the other
professions pay attention to us any more. We've collectively whined and
complained for so long they probably tuned us out around the time of Reagan's second term.

Our years of hiding behind compliance, clinging to a risk
averse leadership style, and behaving like second class corporate citizens
instead of acting like we are true leaders in our companies has positioned us
well for this massive public failure.

A Glimmer of Hope

How about we stop fighting with each other...and complaining...and
focusing on how other professions don't respect us. This isn't helping anyone; and, guess what, we haven't earned their
respect anyway when we act like we can't get ourselves organized.

I am comfortable putting myself out there...taking
risks...and not acting like I need to talk, walk, act, and quote policies like every other HR pro. You can put yourself out there too!

We should be driving culture change...building our
organizations into world-class companies...and creating positive environments for our employees to do their work. That is our job...because let's face it...you're not always going
to have a leadership team with the guts to take risks and create a culture that blows away
the competition.

How About You

If HR is going to continue to act this
way, it may be time for me to find a profession that actually respects itself.
I love HR...but I want HR to love HR too. Is that too much to ask?